Kmflett's Blog

William Cuffay (1788-1870). An important figure in the fight for the vote with no London memorial

William Cuffay was born the son of a former slave in Chatham in 1788. He spent much of his life in London until he was sentenced to be transported to Tasmania in 1848. He remained there until 1870 when he died on 29^th July, 150 years ago.

It was good to see Cuffay feature prominently in the Guardian’s Black History wallchart series on 14^th July. It will bring not just his name but his importance in British history to more people. Yet there remains no London memorial to Cuffay despite efforts to put up at least a plaque.

It’s a reflection of how much still has to be done to make black history a central part of British history which whatever the likes of David Starkey may think it actually is.

Cuffay was the leader of London Chartism in 1848 and being 50 a very senior figure in the movement for the vote at that point. He was not a theoretician like, for example, Bronterre O’Brien, and left no written record.

What he was, was a very experienced organiser. He was the figure behind the huge Chartist rally for the vote on Kennington Common on 10^th April 1848, and his view, without question reflecting the views of many London Chartists, was that the movement needed to be more confrontational in efforts to win the vote.

He was arrested and transported for his alleged role in a plan for an armed uprising in central London in August 1848. The reality of this episode is still discussed. He may simply have been victimised as a Chartist leader, he may have felt that he needed to keep an eye on what was happening or he may have been frustrated at a lack of progress and decided that revolt was the only way to proceed.

Whichever it was when he arrived in Australia in 1849 he didn’t give up or retire but continued to be a union organiser.

Someone who played such an important role in the fight for Parliamentary democracy might one think have warranted memorialising some while ago. But then Cuffay was a rebel and black man.

Let’s hope the Guardian wallchart at last inspires a successful effort to permanently remember Cuffay.

Beard Liberation Front

Press Release

13^th July

Contact Keith Flett 07803 167266

Beard Liberation Front says face masks can be safely worn with beards

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has urged its supporters to follow Government requirements to wear cloth face masks on public transport and in other confined spaces such as shops where social distance cannot be kept.

The campaigners have previously agreed that, aside from religious and cultural reasons, medical face masks worn in care and hospital settings may require the temporary shaving of the beard.

However the BLF says that the non-medical face mask does not serve the same purpose. Rather it is designed to capture any coughs or sneezes, perhaps particularly significant in the hay-fever season.

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, I wear a mask myself in appropriate settings. Whether to cover the whole beard depends on personal preference and indeed beard length, but clearly the mouth and nose should be covered. It is a sensible thing to do and as much as anything a matter of social solidarity.

He continued

We first issued this guidance on 11^th May 2019. We’re not sure what if anything the Government has been doing since then.

The obsession with a politicians first 100 days in the position dates back at least to Harold Wilson (after he was elected PM in October 1964)and the then Manchester Guardian. I suppose its reassuring in changing times that the same paper (minus the Manchester) is also focusing on Keir Starmer’s first 100 days as Labour leader.

A YouGov poll, always a 100% reliable barometer of popular opinion… has suggested that Keir Starmer is seen as most like Tony Blair when it comes to a range of political leaders who the public are likely to have heard of. The comparison with Jeremy Corbyn ranked almost as low as Churchill.

There is potential and a problem for Starmer here.

Being associated with the clean shaven revisionist image of Tony Blair is unlikely to be a big vote winner. While Starmer has distanced himself from the beard power of Jeremy Corbyn, hair remains central to his image. Indeed the first thing he did when lockdown restrictions were lifted was to go to a barber and have his hair cut and refocused.

Whether that makes Starmer a hirsute socialist is a matter for terminological debate.

Beard Liberation Front

13^th July

Contact Keith Flett 07803 167266

Role of COVID-19 beard care volunteers is an essential part of the ‘new normal’

Thanks to Emma-Louise Williams @underthecranes; photo @LauraZerilli

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that part of the new normal are COVID-19 beard care volunteers.

The author and Arsenal supporter Michael Rosen, who was recently voted Beard of Summer 2020, has detailed how his beard was cared for when he spent a lengthy time in hospital with COVID-19 and how his partner Emma-Louise Williams is now providing excellent beard care at home.

Michael Rosen has revealed that while reading messages and letters written to him by nurses while he was in hospital, one related how they had shaved his beard. This is essential when immobilised for a sustained period to ensure healthy follicles and future beard growth.

Now thankfully in a recovery period Rosen is receiving regular beard care. The Beard Liberation Front has developed post-COVID-19 guidelines for this with Emma-Louise Williams providing an excellent template

Post-COVID-19 Beard Recovery. Guidelines for Volunteers

The beard should be inspected on a daily basis

Issues to look out for include split ends, uneven growth and any ‘bald’ patches

In order to keep the follicles healthy & promote hair growth the beard needs regular nourishment. The BLF has long recommended brief immersion of the beard in a glass of imperial stout but there are now a range of beard balms commercially available that can also do this.

Judicious pruning and trimming is also essential. This can weed out poor quality hairs and promote hair growth in weak areas.

If venturing out for exercise a mask both for the beard care volunteer & the beard wearer will be prudent,if appropriate, perhaps with a picture of a great beard wearer such as Karl Marx or W G Grace on it

Ideally the mask should cover the beard to make sure that there is no interface with rain or small particles of pollution that may damage the follicles

Regular reviews should take place, usually weekly, to ensure that overall beard health is being  maintained.

The First ‘post-COVID’ cricket Test in the world & the return of Test Match Special

The First Test between England and the West Indies ended on Sunday with the West Indies winning by 4 wickets. It was rather gripping and important game, for wider reasons, though that might not have been guessed beforehand.

After all it was at the Aegas Bowl near Southampton a venue regarded as being difficult to get to. In addition it was a contractual obligation game. If it hadn’t have taken place the England and Welsh cricket authority would have owed Sky and the BBC money.

Yet because the game was played in a COVID secure ground it being difficult to get too was a plus. The ECB and West Indies cricket put a huge amount of effort into getting the game on, the first Test anywhere in the world for many months.

It rained on the first day- a traditional English summer- which allowed powerful statements from the former West Indies bowler Michael Holding and ex England women’s International cricketer Ebony Rainford Brent in support of Black Lives Matter and against racism in cricket to get maximum coverage. When the game did start all the players and officials took the knee. Its just a start of course but a powerful one.

The match itself was a great example of the ebb and flow of cricket even without spectators.

It was covered as usual by Sky on TV but it also saw the live return of the BBC’s ball by ball commentary Test Match Special.

I’ve been a listener since the 1960s and I suspect only the Archers has a longer radio longevity.

Cricket, the world and Test Match Special has changed a good deal since then and while TMS is sometimes accused of being rather rooted in a rosy past in 2020 its bang uptodate.

Of course there were the old timers, the familiar and reassuring tones of Jonathan Agnew,and Phil Tufnell and Michael Vaughan. In the recent past former England captain Sir Alastair Cook has joined the team and one hopes he’ll hang around. He sounds very much like part of the future of TMS.

Added to the old and not so old white blokes as it were, for this series there is the former West Indies Test player Carlos Brathwaite, an accomplished and professional broadcaster and Alison Mitchell who has played a significant role for well over a decade in promoting the importance of women broadcasting on cricket. Finally Isa Guha, the former women’s cricket England international has joined the team and also anchors a nightly TV highlights programme at last back on the BBC.

In tough and uncertain times the familiarity of TMS but one in-line with the concerns and issues of the day was it must be said a real tonic.

The Ambridge Socialist

12th July

Recreational cricket returned this weekend in England. The Ambridge Socialist understands that in common with a number of leagues and team the South Borsetshire League in which Ambridge play is set to resume next weekend.

Provisional fixtures are set for

Darrington

Little Croxley

Waterley Cross

Edgeley

Penny Hassett

Wimberton

Whether the Single Wicket competition will run and when is apparently yet to be decided as this is purely an Ambridge affair.

This season Ambridge who are generally regarded by supporters as being ‘useless’ have a new captain in Tracy Horrabin. Horrabin has emphasised a fitness regime and the need to have players who can actually play cricket as opposed to just standing there.

Is it the start of a cricket revolution in Ambridge when players at last oust the gentlemen or will Sgt Harrison Burns be back as captain before the end of the season

The Ambridge Socialist

11^th July

Reporting the class struggle in Borsetshire

Alice needs to join a trade union

Alice has walked out of her job with Pryce Baumann this week although it sounded very much like this was to pre-empt a sacking due to alleged poor performance. Alice reported she had been passed over for a promotion and it appears she may have been a victim of bullying. At the same time there also seem to be potential alcohol issues. Refreshingly frequent stereotypes have been avoided and Alice has not been sinking 10 pints of Shires a day but wine. Possibly there is a health issue that needs addressing. Whatever the issue is, and perhaps a combination, Alice needs to join a trade union and start getting help.

Cherry Picking crisis: Grundys to the rescue

With a lack of Eastern European pickers this year Adam has faced a cherry picking crisis. Brian vaguely recalling now that he is semi-retired, that he can be a patrician, successfully invited the Grundy family to help out. Adam was forced to shake hands (one hopes virtually) with Ed while still grumbling that he previously had had no choice but to sack him.

Rogers Travers Macy returns (silently).

Roger Travers Macy probably last appeared in Ambridge in 1991 and the actor that played him originally sadly died in 1989. A new actor appeared in 1991. His return at the moment is therefore in the third person only.

Ambridge cricket season to re-start

We won’t be getting the usual BBC reports but the Ambridge Socialist will be sending a reporter to see how well Tracy Horrabin’s captaincy is working out

Jack Charlton at the Durham Miners Gala, 1980

Jack Charlton who has sadly died at 85 was an iconic figure in post-1945 British culture as part of the 1966 World Cup winning England team, and a football manager most significantly with the Ireland team

The media rightly carries a range of appreciations and obituaries

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jul/11/jack-charlton-england-world-cup-winner-dies-aged-85

There has also been some coverage of the fact that Charlton along with a number of other footballing figures including Brian Clough & Terry Venables signed the founding statement of the Anti-Nazi League in 1977. Charlton had some criticisms. While the ANL was about building a broad united front to isolate the fascists of the National Front it also confronted their attempts to whip up racism when they held deliberately provocative actions.

Charlton was clear in his opposition to fascism but not happy about confronting the NF physically. This of course was a tactical not an in principle difference.

Charlton who had been born in a Northumberland mining village was a supporter of the 1984/5 miners strike and, poignantly as it is being held virtually today, a sometime attender at the Durham Miners gala.

Arthur Scargill has paid tribute to Charlton’s support for the miners strike. Charlton was Scargill’s neighbour for some years & a Leeds United fan. An exclusive Morning Star report here:

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/arthur-scargill-pays-tribute-unswerving-jack-charlton-miners-strike-solidarity

There has been some previous commentary that Charlton’s politics prevented him from becoming England manager (Brian Clough his friend was in the same boat) as they were not to the liking of ‘FA blazers’

https://www.balls.ie/uncategorized/jack-charltons-politics-actually-cost-chance-manage-england-352128

No doubt the obituaries will focus on Charlton’s footballing career and rightly so but there was a lot more to him that.

Beard Liberation Front

11^th July

Contact Keith Flett 07803 167266

Revised status of Alastair Cook’s facial hair sees Burns & Sibley get new beard partnership record

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that after a reassessment of former England captain and opener Alastair Cook’s facial hair status, the partnership of 72 between Rory Burns and Dominic Sibley in the First Test against West Indies sets a new opening beard partnership record.

The BLF says a reassessment of Cook’s facial hair status in his Test career between 2006 and 2018 has led to it being changed from proto-beard to Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Western stubble.

This means that the partnership between Burns and Sibley both of whom have a beard is the highest hirsute England opening partnership for at least 15 years.

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, beard power is a factor of increasing importance in Test cricket and this new England beard record underlines the point.

Durham Miners Gala makes virtual history

They seem to do celebrations and festivals better in other Labour movements in other countries, or at least that is the mythology that has grown up around the British labour movement. This year though the Durham Miners Gala (& Tolpuddle next weekend) are making history by appearing virtually.

These festivals commemorate the formative period of the labour movement from the struggles of Dorset farm workers to join a trade union in the 1830s to the industrial might of Durham miners from the late nineteenth century

Different struggles in different localities but ones that taken together form a history of resistance.

The specific forms of resistance, all focusing on a united fight for a better world, need to be understood in their own sense.

Around the pits of County Durham struggles for trade union organisation were underway in the 1840s and before, but unions were often short lived as battles with employers were fought and lost. However by the 1860s there was a stable union structure and in 1871 the first ‘big meeting’ of Durham miners, the miners gala was held.

It has continued ever since with breaks for the World Wars, the 1926 General Strike and the 1984/5 miner’s strike. Several things usually characterise the gala. Firstly the parade of banners from individual pits, many famously political, depicting figures such as Lenin and Keir Hardie. Secondly the presence of brass bands, a traditional form of music associated with collieries. Thirdly the speakers; down the years the Durham Miners Gala has been the key place for Labour and trade union leaders to speak. Every Labour leader bar one has spoken. The exception of course was Blair who never bothered despite being an MP local to the area. The famous names of British labour have spoken from Nye Bevan a former miner’s leader and founder of the NHS to Tony Benn, and, as importantly international speakers from struggles around world from South Africa to Chile.

The gala attracted as many as 300,000 people in the 1950s and it might seem to be an event dominated by men but the reality is rather different, There was also a tradition of a separate women’s gala and there was a crèche from 1937. Despite the fact that the actions of Mrs Thatcher means there are no working pits left in Durham the tradition of the gala continues. Attendances have been on the increase and new banners are appearing reinventing the festival as one of a celebration of community solidarity.

These festivals are of the left and a place for the left to argue it’s politics, but they are also about fun. There is a lot of respectability involved with the public culture of the British left but there are some unrespectable bits as well. Not only the music and dancing, but also in many cases the beer. We find in 1960 complaints that Durham pub owners were putting up the price of a pint on gala days such was the demand.

If you believe that the British left is dull and boring compared to that elsewhere getting along virtually to one of the great labour movement festivals this weekend and next might just cause you to think again. Solidarity can be mixed with some history and a good time.

I should add though that historically some of the time it did rain. Surely not this year though unless for some reason you’re logged on outside… https://www.facebook.com/events/263691018062514/